The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) has launched the fourth edition of the Global Economic Diversification Index (EDI) at the 2025 World Governments Summit (WGS), held under the theme ‘Shaping Future Governments.’
The expert-led panel featured a keynote speech by Dr. Abdallah Al Dardari of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States and was moderated by Dr. Fadi Salem, Director of MBRSG’s Policy Research Department.
Dr. Al Dardari emphasized that economic diversification mitigates vulnerabilities and fosters resilience against disruptions by expanding economic sectors. Dr. Ali bin Sebaa Al Marri, Executive President of MBRSG, highlighted the Index’s role in guiding policy reforms and supporting the UAE’s sustainable economic vision.
First introduced in 2022, the EDI measures diversification across three sub-indices—Government Revenue, Output, and Trade—assessing global trends over 24 years. The 2025 edition evaluates 115 countries, incorporating a digital trade augmented index (EDI+) to reflect the growing impact of digitalization.
Key findings reveal that the US, China, and Germany maintain leading positions, while the UAE ranks highest in the GCC for trade and output diversification. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kazakhstan, Qatar, and Oman have significantly improved their rankings over two decades. The report underscores the need for commodity-dependent nations to adopt sustainable growth strategies.
MBRSG also announced the second Global Conference on Economic Diversification in 2025, bringing together experts from over 30 countries. The full EDI 2025 report, data, and insights are accessible on the WGS website and MBRSG’s research repository.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
